


A Pilot and a Sharpshooter

by Augustine94



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Luke Skywalker, Asexual Nakari Kelen, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-03-08 12:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13458126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Augustine94/pseuds/Augustine94
Summary: Nakari and Luke have a much needed talk after the events on Omereth.





	A Pilot and a Sharpshooter

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Heir to the Jedi beyond this line.  
> \---------  
> Nakari lives because kriff that noise. Her death seemed really sudden and out of place in the book, and I have on good authority that her death was forced by the LFL story group. Charming, I know. This fic is part of @acesinspace and @astriiformes aroace Luke fic drive.
> 
> Thanks to @thecrowmaiden and @consultingzoologist for betaing.

“Luke? We should talk.”

Luke could have guessed that this was coming. Now that the fighting was over, and their respective injuries had been tended to, it was time for a long ride back to the Rebel Base. He’d expected that during that ride Nakari would want to talk about what had occurred earlier between them, but he hadn’t expected her to bring it up so soon.

“Are you sure you’re ready to do this now? You’ve just had a lot of pain medication.”

Her injuries were extensive. She had shrapnel from the explosion throughout her body. It was a miracle that she was alive. The ship’s meddroid had worked on her for hours to remove what it could, and stabilize her. Luke had hovered nearby helplessly as soon as he took them into hyperspace and was no longer needed in the cockpit.

“I don’t feel too great, but once I fall asleep I’ll probably sleep the rest of the way back to the Base. And I’d rather have this conversation here than there.”

“Right,” Luke said, and pulled up a chair next to the medbay gurney.

“So. We kissed. You seemed to like the first kiss, but looking back on it I’m not entirely sure how you felt about the second one.”

Luke let out a breath. “To be honest I’m not sure how I felt about it either,” he admitted. “I like you, I like you a lot. You’re funny, and impressive with a slugthrower. I feel comfortable around you. And-” he blushed, “I think you’re beautiful too.”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ here,” Nakari said, her face not giving Luke any indication of how she was feeling about this.

Luke sighed.

“I don’t know,” he said, scuffing his feet on the floor. “I guess I don’t really know what I feel. I haven’t been in a relationship before with anyone.”

“With anyone? Ever?”

“Yeah,” he replied, blushing further. “There wasn’t really anyone on Tatooine I wanted to date.”

Nakari made a ‘hmm’ noise and the two of them were quiet for a moment.

“To be honest with you I haven’t been in many relationships myself. Pasher is rather remote and most of the people I saw growing up were my father’s employees. Most were far too old for me, and also, there’d be something wrong about me dating one of his,” her voice deepened to impersonate her father, “minions.”

Luke smiled, “I could see how that would be awkward.”

“Yes exactly,” Nakari continued. “To be honest though, this wasn’t the direction I was expecting this conversation to go.”

“Oh?” Luke asked.

“I’d thought you were interested in starting a romantic relationship with me, and I had something I wanted to tell you if you were.”

“I- still don’t know what I want,” Luke admitted.

“Yes, you said that,” Nakari replied, “But I’m going to tell you anyway because it may simplify things, either positively or negatively.”

Luke thought that seemed like a strange thing to say.

“This wouldn’t be about the nerf steaks would it?” he asked, trying to make a joke.

“Very funny, but no, this has nothing to do with your cooking abilities.”

“Oh good.”

“Even if we are in a romantic relationship, it is incredibly unlikely that I will ever want to have sex with you.”

“Oh. That’s... actually that’s preferred on my end as well,” Luke said, rather taken aback by the statement, but overall relieved by it.

“Really?” Nakari asked.

“Yeah,” Luke replied. Things were starting to fall into place. “I’m not really sure what kind of relationship I want to have with you, but I don’t want to do that.”

“Ever?”

“I...” Luke paused. “I guess I’ve never wanted to do that with anyone else before, and I wouldn’t want to with you either.”

“Luke, do you know what the term ‘asexual’ means?”

“I’ve heard it before for non-human reproduction methods.”

“No, not like that,” Nakari said, “I’m talking about the term as a sexual orientation.”

“Oh, then no. That’s not something that really gets talked about a lot on Tatooine. There’s some taboo about that sort of thing depending on your social class.”

“These things aren’t really discussed much on Pasher either. But I used to read my father’s biology journals for fun.”

“And?”

“It means not being sexually attracted to anyone.”

“Oh. So that is a thing.” Luke leaned forward a little in his chair, steepling his fingers over his mouth.

“I’m guessing that’s a concept that sounds familiar to you?” Nakari asked.

“Yeah, that sounds exactly like the word I’ve been looking for for a while.”

Nakari laughed, which turned into a cough and she placed a hand over her injuries with a grimace. “Ow. Anyway. I’m glad I can help enlighten you on things beyond moving noodles.”

“This is just about as planet shattering to me to be honest.”

“It was for me too. There’s a bit more to it as well if you’re up for it.”

“Sure.”

“Well, it sounds like you’re pretty happy with the term asexual. There are romantic orientations too. I’m romantically attracted to several different genders and species. It sounds like you’re not sure about your romantic attraction.”

“I’m not, although knowing that it can be separate from anything sexual helps a lot.”

“It often does. I didn’t really realize how much breadth there was to my romantic attraction until I realized that I didn’t have to want to have sex with a being to be attracted to them. Kissing is still nice though.”

“I’m glad I can kiss better than I can cook a nerf steak.”

“That’s a low bar, don’t get too full of yourself.”

“Ouch, okay.”

“I’m teasing. You were acceptable.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“For someone I’m guessing has never kissed anyone before.”

“Great. I have been kissed before, but it was kind of- rushed.”

“Rushed?”

“Never mind.”

Nakari narrowed her eyes at him, but her suspicious look was interrupted by a yawn.

“Damn these meds. I think I’m going to fall asleep soon. I’ll send some files to your datapad to look over. We can talk more back at the base.”

“Do we,” Luke hesitated, “still need to talk about our relationship?”

“Yes, but not the conversation I thought we needed to have. Read the stuff I’m sending you. If you’re just figuring things out, let’s just go wherever this relationship takes us. Even if you decide you aren’t romantically attracted to me either I still want to be your friend.”

Luke smiled. Just as she had when encouraging him to use the Force, he felt completely comfortable figuring this out with Nakari too. There was no pressure from her, no demands. The files she was sending him were just as exciting to him as any Jedi text he’d been able to find. This felt right, and Nakari felt like a safe person to explore this with.

The wider galaxy away from Tatooine had more to teach him than just the ways of the Force.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the prompt “Some scene with Luke and one of the “love interests” that the eu writers loved giving him (and then killing them off…) except that there’s no romance or sexual attraction involved. Their interaction can be anything from unreciprocated intentions, to platonic interest in people because they’re interesting to talk with, to gathering mission intelligence. (Mara Jade, Nakari Kelen, Callista Ming)”
> 
> This fic diverges from that prompt a bit because I was conscious of not wanting to overwrite the existing representation of an interracial relationship. So I wrote this as Nakari being bi or panromantic (I feel like we need new terms once aliens get involved) and asexual, and Luke being asexual and questioning his romantic orientation but being somewhere on the aromantic spectrum.


End file.
